Roger Erickson, a Bay Area native, is considered one of the world’s foremost music, fashion and celebrity photographers with his work featured in publications such as Vogue (Mexico & Latin America), Entertainment Weekly, Ebony, Esquire Magazine, GQ, Rolling Stone, The SourceMagazine, The Advocate and Out Magazine. Over the past six years Erickson has created a substantial portfolio of prominent LGBTQ public figures including actors, dancers, writers, musicians, artists, athletes, activists and clergy. In time for the annual PRIDE celebration, the San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries’ Art at City Hall program will present the first-ever major exhibition of Erickson’s work, featuring newly-commissioned portraits of local LGBTQ creatives.

The exhibition features over 80 luminous portraits of celebrities such as Wanda Sykes, Greg Louganis, Rachel Maddow, Edward Albee and Chris Colfer alongside 20 Bay Area LGBTQ notables. As Shiffler explains, “For the exhibition, I felt strongly that the body of work needed to highlight local luminaries in context with nationally recognized LGBTQ figures. We commissioned Erickson to photograph members of our creative community that represent emerging talent like curators Melorra and Melanie Green, as well as established forces such as artist James Gobel and musician Shawna Virago.” The exhibition will also include portraits of author Michelle Tea, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, punk-rockers Jon Ginoli and Lynnee Breedlove, playwright Jewelle Gomez, choreographer Sean Dorsey, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, drag legend Peaches Christ and many more. In addition to artists, Erickson photographed LGBTQ-proud San Francisco Supervisors Scott Weiner and David Campos in their offices at City Hall.

Roger Erickson's Bio:
Erickson was born in the East Bay, and attended college at San Francisco State University. In 1990 he was hired by a British Music Magazine named Select to photograph Neil Young and Crazy Horse in Malibu, California (article entitled "Straight from the Crazy Horse's Mouth" by David Cavanagh - Select Magazine, November/1990). In 1991 he moved to London to pursue his passion as a fine art photographer. Since then, he has become an internationally recognized music, fashion and celebrity photographer. In addition to his feature work for magazines, he has created advertisement and promotional campaigns for the Disney Channel, A&E, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Fruit of the Loom, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Gatorade G-Series with Georges St-Pierre (2009), and in 2005, t-shirts for The Door Charity, designed by Marc Jacobs featuring Lil' Kim.

OUTspoken: Portraits of LGBTQ Luminaries by Roger Erickson is generously supported in part by Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund.